Cultural Diversity In Group Therapy Essay

Words: 955
Pages: 4

The development of a positive cohesion in group therapy can be deeply affected by the cultural diversity of the social construct of that group. In the behavioral health field, dealing with substance abuse disorders in particular, there is no discrimination of gender, race, age, sexual orientation, and economic status. The SAMSHA (2005) describes diversity in group therapy as the differences that distinguish the individual from others and how others identify the individual. As groups are comprised of many differing characteristics, diversity becomes important as clients deal with feelings of belonging. Just as the group may focus on differences as a factor of individuality, the diverse nature of each individual can show that problematic behavior …show more content…
Considering this fundamental of group therapy, the therapist serves the clients best, by first understanding personal cultural and how perspective is viewed in a therapeutic view of human nature. Abbott & Chase (2008) state that as individuals can feel alienated from their host culture if a therapist does not speak the same language, barriers can be presented toward traditional healers. Though it would be easy to hand pick a group of clients from the same race, gender and predisposition to a particular chemical substance, reality dictates that this group dynamic would be rare if existent at all. Yet it is important to have commonality or more over, an ability to understand cultural characteristics in the hopes to create a bond with the client. Working with young adults, new families, and mixed genders of English speaking nationality is a preference, as a cultural understanding is pre-established based on experience. Spirituality remains a high determinate to the recovery process and clients that possess the open-minded reception to spiritually guided therapy would provide a stronger bond between client and therapist. With a goal of successful recovery from substance use, the goals set need to be enthusiastically established and the aid of familiar experience serves dramatically with these